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Expansion Rates of Phragmites australis Patches in a Partially Restored Maine Salt Marsh

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Abstract

Non-native Phragmites australis poses an increasing threat to salt marsh eco-systems in the eastern United States. Multiple factors affect P. australis spread, including reduced salinity and nitrogen runoff. Methods for measuring expansion, such as field surveys or geographic information system (GIS) mapping, often require tradeoffs between precision and scope. We combined field work with high-precision global positioning system (GPS) technology and GIS to investigate expansion of 16 P. australis patches at Drakes Island Marsh in Wells, Maine. Our objectives were to: 1) calculate change in patch area, 2) determine whether expansion varied with respect to site-specific variables, and 3) determine whether expansion varied with respect to landscape variables. Significant patch expansion occurred in 1 year, with an 11 % increase in overall coverage. Expansion was negatively related to pore water salinity, with salinity accounting for 25 % of the variation in expansion. Expansion showed an unexpected directionality warranting further investigation, with patches expanding northeastward more so than in other compass directions. Our methodology allowed for measurement of multiple marsh patches and key variables yet captured small-scale changes over only one growing season. This methodology could potentially be a useful tool for studying expansion rates of invasive species in other salt marsh systems.

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Acknowledgments

This study was conducted under the direction of the late Dr. Michele Dionne, former research director at the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve, Wells, ME. We thank Tin Smith and the interns at the Wells NERR as well as USM graduate student Michael Esty for assistance with field work. We thank Dr. Karen Wilson for advice on experimental design, Dr. Jeff Walker for help with statistics, and USM graduate student Abby Pearson for help assembling resin bags. Thanks as well to Sue Bickford at the Wells NERR, Dr. Vinton Valentine, Dr. Matthew Bampton, Abraham Dailey and Andy Smith-Petersen for GIS help and encouragement. Finally, we extend particular thanks to the two anonymous reviewers whose well-considered comments and suggestions significantly improved this manuscript. Funding was provided by the Maine ScienceCorps Program and the National Science Foundation (Grant #DGE-0440560) as well as the University of Southern Maine Department of Biological Sciences. Field work was conducted on land managed by the Wells NERR and the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge under a U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife special use permit (#53553-2009-13).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern Maine, PO Box 9300, Portland, ME, 04104, USA

    Sandra B. Fussell & Theresa A. Theodose

Authors
  1. Sandra B. Fussell
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  2. Michele L. Dionne
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  3. Theresa A. Theodose
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Correspondence to Theresa A. Theodose.

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Michele L. Dionne is deceased July 4, 2012.

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Fussell, S.B., Dionne, M.L. & Theodose, T.A. Expansion Rates of Phragmites australis Patches in a Partially Restored Maine Salt Marsh. Wetlands 35, 557–565 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-015-0645-3

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